Kathmandu, May 27
Contradicting its own promise about allocating funds to ‘mature’ projects only, the Ministry of Finance has decided to turn little flexible and allocate amounts for ‘immature’ projects also in the budget announcement for the next fiscal year 2019/20.
Finance Minister Yuba Raj Khatiwada will announce the annual budget plan in Parliament this Wednesday.
The Ministry says the government cannot avoid allocating budget for national pride projects even if they are not mature as defined by itself.
The Ministry considers the projects which have already resolved issues about land acquisition and forest clearing, which have already received resources for construction, and which have already prepared detailed project reports as mature. Strictly applying these criteria will render some among 21 national pride projects immature.
For example, the second international airport project proposed for Nijgadh of Bara is also immature as there are multiple disputes regarding clearing the forest area.
“But some amount of money has already been spent in the names of such projects,” National Planning Commission member Ram Kumar Phunyal says, “On the other hand, the government connects its reputation to such projects.”
